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Slip On Board A Ship Leads To Fractured Ankle

In July 2010, Mrs Paterson, who was working as a cabin assistant for Stena Ferries, slipped and fell fracturing her right ankle.

Mrs Paterson was carrying a bowl of food through the galley of the Stena Caledonia ferry when she slipped on the floor and sustained the injury.

Mrs Paterson was unable to get up and was treated by the first aider on board and also by a doctor and nurse who were passengers on board the boat. An ambulance met the ship when it docked and she was taken to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, where her ankle was put in a plaster cast. The next day she was taken to theatre where plates and screws were used to fix her ankle.

The cast was removed from her ankle 6 weeks later, but Mrs Paterson had to have further surgery in December 2010 to remove a screw holding the fibula to the tibia. After the operation she underwent physiotherapy for three months.

As a result of the accident, Mrs Paterson was unable to work for almost nine months and has only been able to return to work on a part time basis. She still suffers from intermittent pain in her ankle and the ankle will often swell later in the day.

Solicitor David Bell who is representing Mrs Paterson, said: “Mrs Paterson continues to suffer following her accident and the movement in her ankle has been restricted. This case has been made more urgent because the accident happened at sea which means that the case only has a two year time limit rather than the standard three year limitation.”